In her lifetime Oum Kalthoum was consecrated not only in her native Egypt but in the entire world. “The only thing greater than her was the Koran”, as her only reporter friend, Mustapha Amin, said. It was with the power of her voice, singing in Arabic, that she managed the incredible exploit of knocking down barriers between peoples, thus accomplishing what no politician has ever managed to do.
From street sweepers to President Nasser, from immigrant workers in France to President De Gaulle, from princesses of the Arab world to the farmers in her own country, from Maria Callas to Maurice Chevalier, not to mention the assembly-line workers in car factories, she gave those who listened to her grace and rapture, a sense of belonging and pride. All that through her ability to inspire the national unity of the Egyptian people by singing about God, Love and her Country.